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Conspiracy Theory: The Truth Behind the Memphis Allegations

By: Brett Blevins

So which is it ESPN?Pat Forde says “the NCAA comes down hard on Memphis,” yet Dana O’Neill likens the sanctions on Memphis to a “bite from a 15-yr old golden retriever. “But then again, I guess I really wouldn’t expect you to have your story straight.How could I?

After all, you have sat back and watched Pat Forde all but pick up the carpet, while his buddy Rick Pitino swept the remnants of his infidelity and abortion scandal under the rug.Mum was the word from Forde, until the case was thrown-out.Then he was right there to get his friend’s back.

Friends, you ask?Forde helped write Pitino’s book Rebound Rules.So he has as much to gain from protecting the Pitino brand as Pitino does.Forde says Cal left Memphis “high and dry”.If he gets a copy of Rebound Rules, maybe Pat and Rick can teach Cal how to leave “not so dry and satisfied”.The hypocrisy is sickening.

And Pat, I’m sick of the constant hard-on for three letters: WWW.It really isn’t befitting on TV and his name is starting to show up a little too much in your columns.Yes, Mr. Wes is one of the most powerful and influential men in the game.But, is giving advice a crime?Other schools use true, slimy, agent-runners, but I have a feeling Mr. Wes is doing well enough on his own so that he doesn’t work for some agent.Instead, he gives advice to kids.Some that, whether you believe it or not, actually do need guidance through the cut-throat process of recruiting.What does he get in return?Nothing.Just ask LeBron.That is why so many young kids gravitate toward Mr. Wes.He isn’t your typical “clinger-on” trying to get their piece of the pie.

Dana O’Neill’s story is obviously to draw the ire of the UK fanbase, directly resulting in hits for her web page.There is absolutely no other reason a respected journalist would go to the lengths she did to compare this situation to the Kelvin Sampson saga.A test score that the coach knew nothing about compared to a coach making the same VERY dumb mistake twice, or a few hundred or thousand times, on his own accord.

I’m close to the business .I know the ways around the phone-call limitations, and it is definitely not calling from your own personal cell phone, especially when you are on a short leash.But the coach in the other situation just does what the NCAA clearing house and his compliance office tell him to do.

The truth behind the situation is that the basketball team wasn’t even the main culprit in the NCAA investigation at Memphis.Coach Calipari was never mentioned in the report.The NCAA said this about Cal’s involvement, “no allegations were brought pertaining to the coach, we did not consider any allegations against the coach.”They went on to explain Cal wasn’t involved at the time of the allegations.How could he?Did he fly up to Detroit and try his hand at the ACT?

I shouldn’t even mention Skip Bayless, and the fact he called for a 1-year suspension of Calipari.We all know this is just for effect and Skip is nothing more than a ramblin’ shell of a reasonable human being.Hell, he makes my boy Woody Paige’s arguments look sane and logical.

Undoubtedly, they will make this story stay in the forefront, especially if John Wall does his best Derrick Rose impression this season.Camelot and Cal will be under attack, and when you are on top you better get used to it.While Kentucky isn’t back on top yet, it is obvious the marriage of Cal and UK has positioned the school to be right there with UNC and Kansas as the biggest-bullies-on-the-block.

So, why not stop it before it gets started? Don't use it merely to say inflammatory things in order get hits. No need for the media to say ugly words like abortion or even to give a moment's look into the UConn situation.Or, for that matter, look at golden child Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils who used an “ineligible player” in 1999.The Blue Devils were National Runner-ups that year, losing to UConn in the finals.Shouldn’t those wins also be struck from the record?Corey Maggette became “ineligible” the moment he took $2,000 dollars from the infamous Myron Piggie.A transaction that both have admitted to.But for some reason that case is still pending investigation.